Motörheadphönes Bomber review

Not heavy, not metal… Do these cans deliver ace-ness in spades?

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Our Verdict

We like the sound; it's just a shame about the Motörhead branding. A strategic application of roadie-approved black gaffer tape might do the trick.

For

Good sound quality (especially with rock)

Fairly comfortable

Sturdy cable

Against

No adjustment possible

Cable could be longer

Branding not to all tastes

We can but applaud the shameless high-conceptness of such an invention. Regardless of their quality, we rather fancy that your decision on whether to shell out for a pair of these latest band-endorsed headphones to hit the market will be based on this: are you willing to be seen wearing them?

We were happy to wear them on the brisk walk into work, but far too ashamed to sport them, with their striking Motörhead stylings, on the bus home. Which is a bit of a shame, because they're not a bad set of headphones.

They definitely feel like the budget end of the Motörheadphöne range, all very plastic and non-adjustable, with head-gripping rubber bits that do a fairly good job of ensuring they won't fall off, but also make them feel a little snug.

You get a lovely thick cable, as well, that won't tangle easily, but it's not quite long enough for our liking - fine for music on the go, but too short for plugging into a Mac or PC.

Thankfully, for headphones bearing the name of a band that values volume above all else, they make a surprisingly balanced noise. Tailored more towards rock than to sub-wobbling dance or R&B, they're warm and punchy with bass that's clearly there but never overpowers, and crisp upper ranges.

There's the slightest tendency towards crunchy distortion when there's a lot going on in the mid to upper ranges, but they can take all the volume your iOS device can kick out, and quite a bit more besides, without losing clarity.

We like the sound; it's just a shame about the Motörhead branding. A strategic application of roadie-approved black gaffer tape might do the trick.